The present invention relates generally to the brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning arts. More particularly, the invention concerns a mop of the roller type having a sponge-like cleaning element and a mechanism that is actuated to wring the cleaning element.
In mops of this general type, the wringing mechanism typically includes a pair of rollers mounted to a frame and on opposite sides of the cleaning element. The rollers are spaced closely relative to the normal, fully expanded width of the cleaning element. Wringing is effected by pulling the cleaning element through the rollers to compress the sponge-like material.
It is particularly desirable to employ a dense sponge-like material because of its greater absorbency and durability. Such materials, however, are more difficult to compress and, thus, are difficult to pull between the narrowly spaced rollers.
In recognition of this problem, prior approaches have resorted to the use of a lever that is linked to a clamp that holds the upper end of the cleaning element. A fixed pivot point for the lever is provided on either the handle or the frame that holds the rollers. To wring the cleaning element, the free end of the lever is moved to draw the cleaning element upward between the rollers. The direction of movement of the lever may be either toward or away from the handle, depending upon the arrangement of the linkage that connects the lever to the clamping member. U.S. Pat. No. 2,201,079 to Camden; U.S. Pat. No. 2,203,106 to Rogers; U.S. Pat. No. 2,210,944 to McMullin; U.S. Pat. No. 2,729,840 to Rogers; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,794,198 to Rogers exemplify this type of wringer mop. While there are differences in the approaches of these patents, the lever-based wringer mechanisms commonly employ a number of mechanically linked elements to effect movement of the cleaning element and compression thereof by the rollers. The provision of these multiple parts necessarily adds to the cost of manufacture of the mop, both in terms of cost of materials and labor. Since the components of the wringing mechanism are subjected to stress-inducing forces, the mops disclosed in these references are not well suited for construction from plastic materials. Accordingly, the designs of such mops do not lend themselves to manufacture by economical plastic-molding techniques.
The highly expandable characteristics of the preferred dense cleaning elements have heretofore been an obstacle to the simplification of the mechanism that draws the cleaning element between the pair of closely spaced rollers. Since substantial force is required to draw the element between the rollers, resort has typically been taken to lever mechanisms such as those discussed above. An alternative approach has been to position the axes of the roller on either side of, and in parallel relation to, the longitudinal axis of the handle. In this arrangement, the cleaning element projects outward from the end of the handle and is adapted to be reciprocated in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mop handle. A simplified push-pull mechanism can thus be employed to effect wringing of the cleaning element. This arrangement is, however, not fully satisfactory. In particular, the main useful surface of the sponge-like cleaning element projects directly outward from the end of the handle. Since the handle is oriented at an angle relative to the floor in a normal position of use, the provision of the cleaning element at the end of the handle necessarily presents less than the full surface of the element to the floor or other surface to be cleaned. Thus, the mop must be turned over frequently during use. As well, this arrangement leads to uneven wear of the cleaning element.
The present invention provides an improved arrangement that overcomes the disadvantages of the developments described above. In particular, the invention provides a simple, reliable, and economical to manufacture retraction mechanism for a roller mop that permits orientation of the cleaning element for reciprocation through the rollers in a direction that is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the handle. Advantageously, this orients the cleaning element at a more usable position relative to the surface to be cleaned when the handle is oriented in a normal position of use.